What Of The Impossible Couple?
by Jazza-44
Summary: Mariah Cheasley has lived on Earth all her life, but she was always different. Now she has been asked to join the Torchwood team. Will she accept? Or will she have her mind wiped? - It says Complete, but I'll continue if told to...
1. Meeting Wounded

Mariah Cheasley was a girl who, though she may have looked just like you or I, led a life of mystery and adventure. Mariah lived in Wales, in the city of Cardiff. She led two, exceptionally different, lives. On the one hand she had her singing career, her friends and her relaxed life.

But on the other hand Mariah had The Agency. The Agency she worked for took care of the crime on the streets and other rogue agencies out to kill innocent people. The Agency also dealt with the supernatural and the extraterrestrial. The Agency was run by and totally composed of women over the age of eighteen. Mariah had just made the cut, having just turned nineteen when the Agency approached her two years ago.

Mariah was approached by The Agency because of her 'abilities'. Mariah had been born with unexplainable, paranormal abilities, with which she made her job much easier for herself. A short list of her abilities include: telekinesis, telepathy, enhanced senses {i.e. hearing, sight, smell, touch & taste}, the ability to heal her-self and others of any injury {excluding death}, she learnt extremely quickly and had great agility. Mariah was also strong, witty and courageous.

Mariah first met the Torchwood team at a night club about a block and a half from her town apartment. And though Mariah didn't know who they were, she felt that they were good people… even if their leader did seem a little cheesy. Mariah sat down, and even played poker with them. And they grew to trust her.

As the night went on however, Mariah couldn't help feeling a certain and rather strong attraction towards the man they seemed to follow. This made her uneasy. Mariah had been trained by The Agency to hide all emotion, not to show a single soul how she truly felt inside, and for the first time in her life, she found this hard. She hadn't felt this way about anyone for years – not since her induction into the army aged seventeen, in which she rose to the rank of Major.

This man kept looking at her, and she wondered, did he know? Could he possibly know about her and her abilities? Mariah thought about this whilst playing a final round of poker with them until – Diling…Diling…Diling – her mobile went off, at which they all gave her a look that seemed to say 'what are you up to now?'

"Sorry, excuse me a moment will you?" Mariah asked

"Yeah… go for it." One of them replied

Mariah got up from the table and answered her phone – it was The Agency.

"_Are you in a secure location?"_ Came a woman's voice over the phone.

"No. Why would I be Serena?" Mariah replied. "Hold on a minute." Mariah made her way

out-side to better secure her location and also so no-one would be likely to hear her. "Ok,

what is it now?"

"_The Shade is needed again. Come on, I'll be out the front in two minutes to pick you _

_up" _Serena insisted. _"You're at the Monkey Club aren't you?"_

"Yes. Where else am I likely to be on a typical Thursday evening?" Mariah replied. "You'll need

to bring –"

"_I know - I've already got it with me…outside, two minutes."_

Mariah hung up, and headed back inside the bar. She collected her coat and bag and turned to go when she spotted two thugs sitting at a table near her. They were watching her every move. Mariah turned slowly on the spot until she was facing the group she had been talking to for the past hour, bade them farewell, and headed towards the door. Slowly at first as to not arouse suspicion, then quicker as she grew nearer the door. The next thing she knew, she was bolting down the ally way opposite from the club, heavy footsteps behind her, gaining all the time.

A door opened somewhere behind her and more people gained on her current position. Mariah spun around to face her pursuers, only to find them readying their guns to fire on her when 'BANG!' a shot was fired not from either of the thugs, but from directly behind them. One of the thugs dropped down dead. The other turned on the spot to shoot his partner's attacker only to be shot by another of the team which had come to her rescue with a stun gun. He fell, unconscious, to the ground.

Mariah watched the thug fall, for what seemed an eternity. The way the thug hit the ground made his expression seem almost peaceful. He came to a sudden stop, sending a cloud of dust into the air.

Mariah would not normally be so shocked to see such a thing as this, as it was usually her who shot the criminals down. She stared in astonishment at the faces of her saviors. They were none other that the group of people she had met and played poker with.

"Who are you?" Mariah asked. The expression on her face was hard to read, as the leader of the group tried to reassure her that everything was alright. He didn't answer her question, but merely escorted her back down the ally way, along the street adjacent from it and away from the scene of what had just happened. The others of the group dragged the unconscious thug along the street, ignoring looks from passers by. They heaved him into the back of an SUV whilst one of them beckoned for Mariah to come with them. She hesitated, then, as she started towards the car, her phone went off again.

Mariah answered it "Yeah what?"

"_Don't worry. Amy got him. Go back to whatever you were doing." _Came Serena's voice over the phone.

"Righto… will do. About to investigate something… can't talk. Bye." Mariah ended the conversation there and turned off her phone. She then walked slowly toward the SUV and the people who had helped her.

"Get in." One of them said to her in a rather unruly tone.

"Don't talk to her like that. Consider what she's just been through." Another of them scolded.

"Ianto's right Owen. Give it a rest will you."

"Ok, ok!" Replied the one they called Owen. "Will you please get in?"

Suddenly, another gunshot was heard and the team spun around to discover the source of the shot. But as they did, Mariah screamed in agony and fell to the ground holding her right side, blood spattered all over her clothes and arms. Blood spurted from the wound in her side, dazed with pain and confused; Mariah lay there clutching her side, feeling herself slip away from the scene and the noise of running feet and two more gunshots, before drifting off into darkness.


	2. Awakening To A Choice

Mariah's eyes fluttered open, revealing where she was. She seemed to be in some sort of medical facility in what looked like an underground base. Mariah sat up, but as she did so she felt a sharp pain in her side which her hand immediately clasped, she removed her hand and looked at where she had been shot. It had not healed as quickly as it normally would have but that was most likely because of the fact that she had been unconscious and unable to heal herself fully.

She stood up and looked over at the computer opposite her. It had medical information displayed on the screen and, as she looked more closely at it, found that it was her medical records that were being displayed on it. Mariah immediately went over for a closer look. It had all of her medical reports, examinations, tests, classified x-rays, MRI scans, the record of the autopsy she went through last year and something new. It seemed as though these people had run their own tests on her. She brought up an image which showed her internal organs and, yep, there it was… her second heart. Both hearts, side by side; one on the left and one on the right. Another image came up. It was a scan of her brain that showed what percentage of her brain she actually used every day. It definitely gave her away.

She heard a noise behind her and spun around quickly. Whoever they were, they were back and had probably already guessed that she was awake. Mariah saw a large pile of stacked boxes, seized her chance and hid behind them. They talked rather loudly.

"So she said – if she'd known what he was, she would never have married him!" said Jack.

"She knew! She knew all along." Tosh exclaimed.

"The thing that really gave him away though, was the slime in the bathtub." Owen put in.

"Ha. Aliens. No sense of hygiene." Jack laughed.

They laughed, but then –

"Um… hey guys, -" Ianto's voice quivered.

"Ha, ha – yeah." Chuckled Gwen.

"She's gone." Ianto replied.

The laughing ceased. And immediately, Mariah heard them scramble to find her.

"Where could she have gone? You said she was out cold!" Tosh scolded Owen.

"She was! Don't blame me!" Owen spat.

"I blame you!" Tosh sounded worried.

"Why me?" Owen asked.

"You always get mixed up with reports!" Gwen teased.

"Do not!" Owen retorted.

"Do so!" Gwen teased again.

"Do not!"

"Do so!"

"Hello? While I'm sure this argument on is spurning war! The rest of us are looking for the girl" Came the sound of Ianto's, now, cool and rather relaxed voice. It was unnerving.

Mariah shook with fear, and yet she didn't know why this scared her so. Footsteps drew nearer to her and she heard them whispering to each other. Someone tapped the other side of the boxes and Mariah had to steady her breathing as to not so easily give away her position.

There was more whispering, and Mariah heard one of them say that she wouldn't be so stupid as to hide in so obvious a place.

'_Nice.' _Mariah thought. _'Well, at least he doesn't think I'm stupid.'_

They moved off into another section of the place and Mariah came out of hiding and ran immediately for the exit. Once out there though, she found that the tunnel went of in two directions. To the right was a long passage way with an elevator at the end and to the left, another long passage that moved off into two more directions, the one going off to the right - a dead end, the one to the left leading down a long fleet of stairs.

She made her way back along the corridors and was half way towards the elevator when the lift doors opened, and out stepped Jack, Tosh and Owen. Mariah froze, then, slowly started to back away from the elevator, and them. Then, in a split second, turned on her heel and bolted for the stairs. They came pelting down the corridor after her, shouting –

"Ianto! She's headed for the stairs!" Jack yelled through his ear-piece as he bolted after her.

As she ran down the steep stair case, that seemed never ending, her footsteps echoed off the stone walls, breaking the silence. Her breathing was ragged and her heart was beating so fast that it threatened to break through her rib cage. She kept running, even though she knew that sooner or later they would catch her and drag her back into the main area of their underground base. She ran to the stairs and immediately started to leap down them two or three at a time, all the time the others gained on her. Mariah heard more feet pounding on stone and looked over the railing to discover another of the people chasing her bolting up the stairs to help the other three. Mariah was trapped! She looked around desperately for an escape route but could see none. She spun around to face the first three. They came hurtling down the stairs after her, but stopped after they saw she had.

"There's no way outta this one. Just come on back and we'll explain everything – " Jack insisted

"You ain't gonna stop me now!" Mariah yelled as she jumped over the railing, "Look out below!" Falling ten stories to the bottom of the flight of the stairs. Mariah looked up and suddenly remembered. "Hey, weren't there five of you?!?!" A door opened behind her. She turned on the spot to confront the missing member of the team. However, he was ready for her, shooting her with a stun gun. Mariah fell, unconscious, to the floor.


	3. In Or Out

Mariah awoke to the sound of quiet talking. She sat up and turned on the spot to see them watching her quietly from the overlooking railing.

"Somehow… I told you so, just doesn't quite cut it." Said Jack. "I will say this for you however. You gave us a hell of a run for our money! What's you're name?"

Mariah stayed silent for a moment, shuddered violently and then replied –

"Mariah Cheasley. You?"

"Captain Jack Harkness. This is Gwen Cooper, Dr. Owen Harper, Toshiko Sato and Ianto Jones – who gets us every where on time." Jack said, first motioning to himself then to the others. Ianto smiled warmly, as if reassuring her. "Pleasure to meet you… though I'm sure that pleasure's all mine." A smile played at the corners of his mouth as his eyes swept up and down her body.

"So. Have any idea why those guys were after you? Of course, if you don't then that's fine, but any information that may be able to help us, don't hesitate to speak up."

"Nope." She lied, "No idea…why?" Mariah inquired.

"Blunt and to the point. Not sure if I like that but it's fine for now. Ummm… no reason worth knowing." Jack smiled at her seductively.

"I'm not stupid Captain. _You_ followed me to that bar, _you_ insisted on joining me, _you_ who came to my rescue." Mariah paused, allowing for this to sink in before continuing. "You _knew_ something before you even set foot in that club."

They looked at each other now, suspicious looks on all their faces. But Mariah wasn't going to let them get out of this next one.

"So… what happens to me now?" she asked. "I can identify you. I mean – I know your names, what you do-"

"So, what? You're gonna tell someone?" Jack's head snapped up as he said this.

"Yeah if I have to." Mariah retorted. This however produced invisible snickers from the other members of the team.

"Do you really want that? Do you really want us to go after them too?" the look on Jack's face made her nervous, but it also gave her the feeling of adrenalin pumping though her veins. Why was that? Fear?

"You bastard!" Mariah's eyes flashed from his face to the others and then to stairwell.

"Nooo. You're not going anywhere." Jack looked into her eyes and saw the fear there.

Mariah reached out with her mind toward his. Looking, searching for something that might be of use to her… she found it. "You gonna put me in one of those cell things where you keep aliens? Is that it? Coz, if that's what you're thinking 'pal', then you'd better think again!" desperation for a way out suddenly became evident on her face, for only a second and then… a blank look washed over her face as she heard the thoughts of Gwen. At least one person knew what human rights were. But… as Mariah pondered this she came to the realization that those rights may not apply to her.

"Mariah?" Owan's voice cut into her thoughts. "Where do you go when you fuzz out like that?"

"None of your business." Mariah was suddenly very aware of just how close Owen and Jack were to her in comparison to the rest of the team. Mariah took an involuntary step back. The look on Jack's face went from concern to caution in an instant, taking a step toward her in the same instant she had stepped backwards.

"You haven't answered my question yet." She put in to distract them. It worked.

"You mean the one about what's going to happen now? That's quite easy to answer. You can either tell us what we would like to know -"

"Another way to say 'We want to know' which is kinda old."

"Or. We can put you in a cell with what I believe will soon become your worst nightmare."

"I think I'll take my worst nightmare over telling you any day." Mariah muttered to herself.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Owen's voice, once again, made her loose her train of thought.

"Nothing." She paused. "Just that I'd take my worst nightmare over disclosing any information about myself, any day."

"Hmmm… she's not going to budge Jack." Tosh remarked

"Yeah. Her file said she was known for being stubborn… and of getting out of tight fixes. Could you maybe explain that for us?" Jack had a certain gleam to him as he said this, like he knew he was provoking her.

"I thought I just said that I wasn't going to tell you anything." Mariah looked away from them toward the same computer that she had been looking at earlier. It still had all her medical history spread out all over the screen. There were things they wanted her to explain that she could just not tell them. They seemed like reasonable enough people, and she didn't want them to get hurt because of her.

"Mariah. We know this is all pretty overwhelming but you need to understand that there are certain things about you that we need to know." Gwen tried to reason with her.

"For example?" asked Mariah.

"For example, why you have two hearts. Why that gunshot wound didn't kill you. How you knew about the alien holding cells we had here. Just small things like that." Gwen wasn't trying to make her tell her anything like Jack and Owen had been, she was allowing her the choice of answering or not. Mariah did want to tell them now, but she simply couldn't.

"If I could tell you I would, but I can't, so I won't ok." Mariah said this rather quickly. Too quickly. Now they were all staring at her, as if trying to force her into submission.

"Why can't you?" inquired Jack.

"If I did the consequences could be…severe. I don't want to hurt anyone-"

"You won't. I promise." Jack seemed sincere, but Mariah wanted to hurt him least of all. Mariah's face went blank again as she criticized herself for allowing herself to admit she had feelings for this guy. He was rather attractive, and he did have gorgeous eyes, but – _'Stop it'_ she thought to herself but her mind wondered again, until –

"Mariah? Mariah snap out of it!" it was Tosh's voice whose had brought her, hurtling, back to reality.

"Whoa!" Mariah tripped backwards over something, only to be caught by Jack. A sharp pain splintered up her side making her face contort with the pain of it.

"Steady there." Jack set her back on her feat, and held her steady. "Owen, I think you should check that wound of hers again."

"That's really not necessary. I'm –" Mariah started to explain but then pulled up short. She bit her lip and looked up into the Captain's eyes. They were… mesmerizing! Mariah let her eyes gaze into his, until he looked away again. She brought herself back to reality in that same instant.

"Jack…" She trailed off when he looked at her. Surprise and shock, the only signs of emotion she could see, swept across his face. He composed himself and let his arms fall from her sides.

"Owen, check the gunshot wound again, will you?" He didn't look away from Mariah as he said this.

Owen nodded and walked toward the medical area. Jack guided Mariah in the same direction. She sat herself down where Owen asked her to and let him get on with examining her injuries. All the while Jack stared at her like she was something out of a fairytale. She simply looked up at him every now and then.

"I'm curious. What exactly is going to happen to me when you're fed up with me not saying anything? I would just like to know… that's all." Mariah looked up into Jack's eye's, they were too deep, too meaningful, like pools of deep water that any woman would want to drown in, the colour of dark chocolate, almost like – _STOP IT!!! _If she let her mind get any more carried away she would most likely be kicked out of the Agency.

"What do you think will happen?" Jack's tone was polite, but underneath it was full of mockery.

"Oh, I donno! You could do pretty much anything." Was her genius answer. She had been going to say something quite witty, but then it had melted away as she looked up once again into his too-brilliant eyes.

"What do you want to happen?" Was his reply to her.

Thinking too erotically for her own good, "I just want to go home and think about all of this." She used her next tactic, lying.

"What? You don't want to pump us for information?" Jack asked, genuinely interested now.

"What else would I want to pump you for?… I really just said that, didn't I?"

"Yep. You sure did." Owen smiled at her before going back to his work.

Mariah looked into Owen's mind. She thought that she thought erotically! This guy was off the charts!

"I know what you're thinking! Don't even go there, cos that ain't ever gonna happen!" Mariah all but shouted the words at him. She was honestly shocked by what he had been thinking.

"What do you mean you 'know what he's thinking'" Jack asked Mariah. She looked up and felt her will simply melt away like it was never there.

"Um…" Was her brilliant reply.

"Um… What? You can't tell us that either?" Jack unleashed the full force of his eyes on her.

"No. I can't." Mariah was quiet then and let Owen finish his work. The Agency would be looking for her soon if she didn't report back. Mariah looked down at her watch and gaped at the time. Two fifteen… in the afternoon! How long had she been out? It must have been at least seven hours. They must be going crazy searching for her. She needed to get away, and fast.


	4. Letting Him In

'Why had he brought her to a bar? Did he really think that he could get information out of her this way? Who knew?' Mariah thought to herself as she sat, waiting for Jack to come back with their drinks.

As Jack walked over he smiled at Mariah and set her drink down in front of her before he sat down. Mariah ran her finger around the edge of her glass a couple of times as she thought about her current situation. Jack looked at her and she was the first to break the silence between them.

"Look, I know that I'm not supposed to know anything about this but –"

"No. No buts'. You and I both know that you don't need any proof that aliens exist. So it's worth knowing I'm probably the only one you can tell."

"Ok then. I work for a secret organization that no-one in the world knows about, that includes Torchwood, yes I know who you are. We go around Wales, England, Scotland and Ireland; we take care of the crime on the streets and other rogue agencies out to kill innocent people. The Agency also deals with the supernatural and the extraterrestrial. The Agency is run by and totally composed of women over the age of eighteen." Mariah's will had broken, she'd told him.

"The Agency?" Jack inquired.

"The Agency, being the organization that I work for. And those scans and tests you lot ran on me while I was out cold, probably gave you a fair few things to think about as well." She explained.

"Well, I'm impressed that you held onto that for so long. But why did you feel the need to hide this from us? We'd have kept quiet."

"I'm not supposed to tell anyone."

"So why did you?" Jack's eyes lit up with anticipation of her answer.

"Because you seemed like reasonable people and I wanted to take a non-work related risk. Just one thing, please don't retcon me!"

"Why would I do that when we're looking for someone with experience to make our team an even number?" Jack spoke calmly.

"Really? But… why me?"

"Because you're smart, have telekinesis, telepathy and extremely enhanced senses. You're incredibly agile when not injured and…you have two hearts."

"Hold on! Rewind and freeze! You want me to join Torchwood? I'm still working for The Agency. I can't have three lives!"

"What do you mean three? I thought it was four." Jack, who had been looking down at his drink, suddenly looked up – straight into her eyes.

Mariah blushed, looked down and said, "No, I gave up my teaching career ages ago. How the hell did you -"

"Don't worry Mariah. But look if you want to join, you need to turn up in front of the water tower at nine am sharp. Ok?"

"Ok then." Mariah's tone was confident as she got up and took a step toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Jack asked in earnest.

"Back to the agency to report in, and then I'm going home and going to bed. I really need some sleep." She turned and walked away and as she did, Jack eyed her hungrily, not wanting to love her but not being able to stop himself from doing so.


	5. Opening Her Heart

Mariah awoke in the comfortable surroundings of her flat, no longer tired. She rolled onto her side and looked at the clock. "Eight fifteen." She mumbled to herself, nestling back down into the warm covers.

Then she sat bolt upright, realizing she only had a short space of time in which to be where she needed to be. To be where she wanted to be. Mariah raced against time, and finally, was there with five minutes to spare. She pulled over near the curb, got out and locked her car. There, she waited.

* * *

"Jack." Owen's voice echoed around the Hub and Jack froze. "She's here."

Ianto went and stood next to the monitor and watched Mariah as she waited for them, or rather 'him'.

"Should we…" Ianto didn't finish. He wondered why Jack had taken such a liking to this girl. He knew Jack suffered from loneliness. He hadn't smiled since the Glacialillian incident four months past. But this girl seemed to have become the world to him after seeing her just once. It baffled Ianto but he dared not speak his mind.

"Give her five minutes Ianto. Just to see if she turns and runs." Owen chuckled darkly. "That'd be a laugh."

"She won't run Owen. There is something I see in her, it might kill me, and I want it to be true. She clouds up my mind, it's infuriating." Jack said with a slight edge of irritation in his voice.

"Want me to figure her out for you?" Owen spun in his chair to face the others.

"I'll figure this one out on my own thanks." Jack replied acidly.

Jack's thoughts were elsewhere by now. Thinking about her - down there, by herself - in the cold. '_Three minutes'_ Jack thought to himself. _'That's all. You just need to hold it together for three minutes'_. Jack yearned to have her near him. He couldn't help it.

"Jack," Gwen's voice broke into his train of thought. "It's time. Let's go get her."

* * *

Mariah watched as the team approached her from behind the docks. She kept her head down, not wanting to look at Jack's face and feel the joy waiting to fill her at the first chance. She recognized all of them. Owen's mocking eyes, Ianto's polite smile, Gwen's kindly face, Tosh's posh clothes, and Jack's long blue-grey military coat.

"Hey… Riah!" Owen called out to her. Involuntarily, Mariah looked up. Owen's mouth turned up at the corners, trying to hide a smile at her surprise at the new nickname.

"Hello." Was all she could say as she tried to figure out how he had come up with the name that only her fellow band members used when talking to her.

"You ready?" Jack asked her politely.

"As I'll ever be." Mariah replied.

"Good," said Owen, the once hidden smirk now a wide grin that just about spread from ear to ear. "We're going to see you sing."

"Or did you forget that your band has a gig on down at Cardiff Central?" Ianto smiled at her.

"Oh!" She remembered at once.

"Yeah. And it's only a short way, so why don't we walk there together?" Jack's question was rhetorical, and Mariah knew he wasn't going to let her get out of this.

"Rito." Mariah surrendered.

As they walked along the streets of Cardiff, Mariah kept her eyes on the shadows down ally-ways and sewer drains. Twice she saw weevils prowling in those shadows but it wasn't until they were all a block away from their destination that the weevils attacked. Mariah's agility and fighting skills kicked in at once.

"Jack!" She yelled. "Do you want this thing dead or alive?!"

Mariah awaited his reply as she twisted, ducked, twirled and dived out of the way of the weevils repeated attacks. She spun and her foot connected with the creatures gut, sending it flying into the nearest wall. Dazed and confused, it tried to right itself. Mariah turned looking for the others, finding them all preoccupied with the other weevil; she then turned back around and was taken by surprise when she was slammed into the ground. Having done this the weevil attacked, its weight crushing her. Mariah screamed as it gnashed its teeth, not an inch from her face. She heard someone yell her name as they responded to her scream. Not wanting to look weak, Mariah first kneed the weevil in the gut and then pushed it away with the full force of her legs. It flew through the air, hitting a lamp-post, leaving a dent where it had collided with the post. The weevil fell, limp, to the ground. The team rushed to where it lay, and Mariah picked herself up off the ground.

"I prefer these things alive. Which you have completed perfectly for a first timer." Jack finally answered. "I'm amazed at how you delivered just enough force in that last effort to send it unconscious but leave it uninjured as well. Well done Riah."

"We'll bag 'n' tag 'em boss, and then we'll come back." Said Owen. "And you just make sure you're there, ok?"

"Well then." Jack turned and took Mariah by the arm. "Shall we?"

"Lead the way." Mariah smiled to herself as they walked together into Cardiff Central, arm in arm, talking merrily.

* * *

Mariah's band played for over three hours, and was exhausted by the time the next band showed up to play.

Mariah and the band descended the stairs and she walked to the bar with her flat mate, and lead guitar player, Troy. They had a drink together while the others watched her laugh with him. Finally, a slow song started to play and Jack got up and went over to where Mariah was sitting. She eyed him cautiously as he approached.

"Do forgive me but I don't think we've been introduced." Jack said to Troy, taking his hand and shaking it. "Captain Jack Harkness, do you mind if I steal Mariah away for a while?"

"Not at all." Troy replied, smiling at Mariah as he looked at them both. "You go have fun sweetheart."

Oh, he just had to slip that in didn't he. "Alright, you go check on your boyfriend Rick then." Mariah smirked as Jack led her to the dance floor and spun her into a slow dance.

"He's gay?" asked Jack, a slow smirk spreading across his face.

"Yeah, he is. Troy's my flat mate. Can't afford a flat of his own, so he stays with me."

"Flat mate." Jack said to himself, as he spun Mariah around slowly again and then went back to a waltz position. Holding her close to him, so he could look deeper into her eyes. Mariah didn't look away from him this time, keeping her eyes locked on his. His smell was intoxicating, he had heightened sex pheromones, Mariah could tell because she herself had the same heightened sex pheromones, but hers were nowhere near as strong as Jack's were. He kept bringing her in closer, holding her tighter against his body, and… she liked it. Mariah couldn't understand these feelings, but she let them take hold of her, well, just for this dance anyway. When the music stopped Jack bowed, Mariah curtsied, and they both left the dance floor in the direction of the team.

"I don't want to admit it but, newbie, Riah, you can really dance." Owen complimented as they came into hearing range.

"It's all in the leading Owen." Mariah replied. "I didn't really have to worry with a pro dancer like Jack there. Where did you learn to dance?"

"The war, 1941, London. The bombs were raining down but the parties still went on." Jack laughed. It was an honest laugh, Jack's was. It made you feel like laughing too. And so the night went on, and they soon found themselves having rather personal conversations.

"So, who was the last person you snogged?" Gwen asked suddenly. "Mine was Rhys."

"Easy for you to say." Said Tosh. "Mine was Mary."

"Mine was Lisa." Ianto said solemnly.

"Mine's Dianne." Owen looked at Mariah now.

"You might wanna skip me." Mariah looked at her hands.

"No, we all have to answer Riah." Jack smirked at her when she glared at him.

"Ok then. Nobody. I've never kissed anybody. I've never got drunk either, had a boyfriend or even had sex." Mariah looked at each of their faces and instantly regretted having opened her mouth.

"Well, the first two things we can fix." Said Owen, smiling as he did so.

"Anyway," said Tosh with a quick glance at Owen. "Jack we need you and Mariah to go undercover for a political function. We need to catch this man, alien, whatever he is, and stop him from killing again."

"You got a picture of him?" Mariah asked.

"Yeah, and every place at which he's killed." Tosh replied, handing Mariah a photograph and a marked map.

"Hey, I know this guy." Mariah hoped they hadn't seen the fear behind her eyes, but they had.

"Who is he?" asked Tosh.

"Why are you afraid of him?" Jack inquired seeing the sudden fear in her eyes.

"How do you know him?" Owen asked eagerly.

"Wow, guy's. One question at a time, please." Mariah looked at the photograph and then at the others. "His name is Entral Sool. I'm afraid of him because he nearly killed me. And, I know him from the many times I've had to fight him."

"What can you make of the pattern of his killing?" Ianto suddenly asked.

"Exactly that. It's a pattern, repeated many times over in several places, close together, to form one gigantic pattern of the same shape. He always does this; he's using the star sign Scorpio. It's his businesses symbol; he always leaves it somewhere, and its how the agency tracked him down the last few times." Her voice quavered on the last word.

"Well, Mariah, looks like we've got some catching up to do." Jack smiled triumphantly. Now they could spend some time alone… together.

"Why us?" Mariah asked. "Why us in particular?"

"Because you two are the only ones in torchwood that this guy hasn't seen." Owen answered matter-of-factly.

Mariah had to admit that was true. Entral Sool had never seen her face. She always wore a mask when she had to clock field time for The Agency.

"Ok then," Mariah looked up at them. "Where do we start?"


	6. Love And Lust

"Ah...guys..." Tosh called out as she looked up from the monitor. "He's gone."

"What!?" yelled Owen as he whirled around in his chair to face her.

"Our cell-guest," she elaborated. "He's gone."

"What do you mean he's gone Tosh..." said Owen as he moved next to her to look at the monitor.

She pointed at the screen. "Gone..."

"Shit!" Owen cursed. "Guys...we have a problem!"

"What's all the commotion down there?" yelled Jack as he came out of his office.

"The Ractor's missing," replied Owen as he checked his weapon.

"And what do we mean by...missing?" Jack asked as he jogged down the stairs.

"Gone, disappeared, not where we left him..." Tosh replied.

Jack moved to one of the computer terminals; tapping a few keys he brought up the recording of the CCTV footage from the cells from the last half hour, fast forwarding through it. "Who searched him?" he yelled as he paused the recording.

"Riah," replied Tosh.

"Yeah?" asked Mariah as she walked into the main area of the Hub.

"You searched the Ractor before putting him in the cells?" asked Jack.

"Yeah...why?"

Jack took her by the shoulders and spun her around to face the screen. "Notice anything?"

"Shit!" she exclaimed as she looked at the still of the Ractor using a device to open the cell door.

"Did you frisk him?" Jack asked as he swung her back to face him.

"Of course I did..." she answered trying to cover her embarrassment.

Jack folded his arms across his chest taking a deep breath as he looked at her. "Let's go get ourselves a Ractor ..._again_..."

They found the Ractor without too much trouble after it rather successfully managed to get itself totally lost in the tunnels; with the alien safely back in its cell they made their way back to the central area of the Hub.

"Call it a day guys," said Jack. "I'll see you all tomorrow."

They all gathered their stuff and moved towards the cog door.

"Mariah..." Jack called as she was leaving. "Can I see you in my office before you go?"

They all shared a collective look as they walked out the door glad they weren't Mariah right now. By the time Mariah had put her bag and her jacket back down on her desk Jack was already in his office; slowly she walked up the stairs dreading the conversation that was about to come, she knew she'd fucked up and she felt bad enough as it was – she didn't think she could handle Jack giving her a lecture about how to do her job. She walked in to see him sitting back in his chair his boots propped up on his desk.

"Sit down," he said as she stopped in the doorway.

"Listen Jack I know I stuffed up today," she began as she sat in the chair across from him. "I promise you it won't happen again."

"I'm actually surprised it happened this time Agent Cheasley," Jack replied. "Didn't they teach you how to frisk someone in The Agency?"

"Yes they did," Mariah replied. "And that's how I frisked him...and I obviously missed something."

Jack looked at her in silence a moment before swinging his legs down to stand up and walk around his desk; stopping next to her he raised his arms out to his sides. "Show me."

"Excuse me?" she asked, unsure what he wanted.

He looked down at her his face entirely serious. "I want you to show me how you frisk someone."

She blinked once, slowly got to her feet moving behind Jack and taking a deep breath she reached out to run her hands lightly down his sides, over his hips, quickly patting down each leg.

"That's it?" he asked as he turned to face her.

She looked a little surprised. "Yeah that's it."

"Not very thorough," he replied frowning a little.

"Well how would you do it then?" Mariah asked getting a little annoyed despite herself.

A lazy grin spread itself across Jack's face as he leaned into her. "I was hopin' you were going to ask that."

Before Mariah could reply Jack had spun her around and was propelling her – with a little more force than was strictly necessary – towards the brick wall at the back of his office.

"Hands against the wall," he commanded brusquely as he gave one last shove.

Mariah found she had no choice in whether to place her hands against the wall if she wanted to keep her nose in one piece. "What the he..."

"Spread you legs," Jack barked cutting off her protest.

She shook her head and sighed as she complied; she'd go along with Jack's little game – for now.

Jack let out a breath trying to steady himself; the sight of Mariah prostrate against the wall of his office was doing things to him. He let his eyes travel slowly down the length of her body, a smirk coming to his lips as he noticed her feet were barely shoulder width apart.

Mariah's breath hitched in her throat as she felt Jack's knee between her legs his breath on her neck.

"I said," he growled in her ear, his boot forcing her sneakers further apart. "Spread your legs..."

She was too shocked by his movements to notice the slight change in his voice, adrenalin surging from high in her chest to low down in her belly.

He reached out to place his hands over hers where they rested against the wall bringing their bodies into closer contact.

Mariah closed her eyes her head dropping down between her shoulders causing her to push back into him.

Jack growled deep in his throat at the movement. "Now how are you going to learn your lesson...if you don't keep your eyes on the teacher?" he asked his voice low.

Swallowing, Mariah lifted her head to watch his hands where they still covered her own; his voice sounding in her ear, his breath warm on her neck as his hands began to move.

"What you've got to remember Mariah..." his hands caressing hers, moving over slender wrists, fingers brushing lightly over pulse points. "...is that you're not in Kansas anymore..."

Mariah's brows knitted together, her slightly addled brain not sure she'd heard him correctly. _Kansas!? _

"...you're frisking aliens now..." he was now at her elbows, fingers trailing the sensitive underside of her arms. "...not humans..." his hands slid around to massage her shoulders his thumbs digging lightly into the back of her neck.

She couldn't help the moan that escaped her lips at this latest assault on her senses.

Jack smiled as he felt her move into his touch. "...they could have anything secreted beneath the skin..." he whispered hoarsely, his fingers kneading her shoulder blades. "...weapons..." thumbs moving down her spine. "...electro-magnetic devices..."

Mariah felt the heat in her belly flare sensing Jack crouch behind her as he moved down over her arse, his large hands easily covering the backs of her slender thighs as they moved slowly downwards past the sensitive area behind her knees over strong calves lingering at her ankles before starting their equally slow progression up the fronts of her legs; she gasped as he gripped the insides of her thighs hard before standing up.

Splaying his hands out on her hips Jack pulled her back into him once again trying hard to suppress the groan as her firm arse pushed against him; one hand stayed on her hip to hold her against him as the other moved up over her belt catching the hem of her t-shirt, feeling the skin of her stomach hot beneath his fingers. "...they could be concealing things...almost anywhere..."

Mariah's fingers gripped the coarse bricks as if they were her lifeline; Jack's body against her, his sultry voice in her ear, his palm ghosting over her hard nipple – it wasn't working – she was drowning – and right now, as she felt the thumb of his other hand hook into the band of her jeans – she was finding it hard to care.

It seemed like an age before Jack moved again, popping the button on her wondrously tight jeans, the zipper surrendering it's hold soon after allowing his hand to dip beneath the fabric; Mariah's heart hammered, her face flushing at the thought of the dampness he would find there. "And what exactly am I supposed to be hiding down there?" she managed to ask not quite knowing how. The throaty chuckle she received in response sending chills up her spine.

"Have I got some stories for you..." he breathed, his hand moving slowly over her soft panties. He felt her shift against him; knowing it was to allow him better access he smiled. "Glad to see you're cooperating Mariah..."

Mariah moaned as his fingers slipped lower brushing across her entrance. "Cooperative and willing to learn...it always said that on my school reports..."

A sudden image of Mariah dressed in a Catholic school girls' uniform flashed into Jack's mind causing his already racing heart to skip a beat. "I've got lots to teach..." he growled.

She thought of all the different ways Jack would know to make her feel, well, the way he was making her feel right now and she shuddered.

Jack slipped his right hand beneath her bra to cup her breast, gently rolling and pinching her nipple between his thumb and forefinger loving the low moan he received from her at the action; cupping her with his left hand he pulled her back harder against him letting her feel what she was doing to him.

"Jack..." she gasped at the contact, wanting, needing more from him.

Slipping his hand beneath the silky smooth fabric he ran his fingers lightly over her soaking entrance groaning at the knowledge that it was for him; moving back up, he tentatively parted her, slipping one thick finger inside.

She felt his lips on her neck, his teeth grazing her sensitive flesh; Mariah's mind was clouded over, far beyond thoughts of actions or consequences. All she knew was what Jack was making her feel, tilting her hips slightly she let him know that she wanted more – much more.

Jack slipped a second finger into her, his thumb playing across her sensitive nub knowing it wouldn't take much to send her over the edge.

It felt so good; Mariah knew she wouldn't last long as Jack's long, thick fingers delved into her. "Oh God!" she yelled as he hit that spot inside her...again...and again...

"Come for me Mariah..." he whispered hoarsely in her ear.

_Christ he has the sexiest voice..._her last coherent thought before he brought her to her shuddering climax.

Slowing his movements, he held onto her, feeling her relax against him finally. He laid his forehead on her shoulder a moment, praying he wouldn't find regret etched on her beautiful face when he turned her to face him; he breathed a sigh of relief as her bright eyes looked openly into his. Feeling her hands on him he moved closer to her. "One place...more or less...left to check..." he whispered as he brought his lips to hers.

Mariah felt herself melt; surrendering to his kiss, not believing his lips could be so soft; the fire in her belly flaring anew as she felt his hardness press into her stomach.

He flicked his tongue across her lips, her response to his request was immediate and eager as she teased his tongue with her own. He groaned feeling her hands on his hips pulling him harder against her...

Then light strobed across the Hub, sirens whaling, assaulting their ears after the semi-silence they had become accustomed to.

"Shit..." Jack swore under his breath his forehead against hers, breathing in deeply the scent of her, before pushing away.

Mariah quickly did up her jeans as she watched Jack walk out of the office and onto the landing to see who had interrupted them. She heard Tosh yell that she'd forgotten the charger for her laptop before the sirens whaled again signalling her retreat.

Taking a deep breath Jack turned and walked back into the office to see Mariah leant against his desk; closing the door behind him, he leant back against it. Just as he was about to speak Mariah's phone sounded.

She pulled the phone from her pocket and looked at the screen.

He only had to see the look on her face to know who showed up on the caller ID. "Mariah..."

"I have to go... you know what The Agency's like." she said quietly.

Jack looked at her for a moment before opening the door to let her pass out of his office and out of the Hub – for tonight.


	7. The Turning Point To Love

fic-chap7-riah

Stifling a yawn, holding a loose fist to her mouth, while rummaging through her pockets with her other hand. Pulling out her keys, it took Mariah longer than usual to find the right one and open the door. Her eyes kept blurring from tiredness, and she had no idea how she managed to drive home and stay in one piece.

What had happened a month ago with Jack in the Hub had left Mariah wondering whether her training had actually had any affect on her at all. She had been told she would be emotionless, unable to feel the things she knew she felt when she was with Jack. But then, All Agency 'staff' were meant to be like that. She thought about that for a moment and realised that nearly everyone she knew there was either married, engaged or in some sort of serious relationship. Perhaps she could be normal too…well, normal enough.

"Hello, Riah." Mariah jumped at the cold voice that said her name, and she reached out to turn the light on with one hand while her other hand fluttered to her gun. When light flooded the small room, Mariah let out a small sigh of relief and gave a smile when she saw it was just Troy sitting on the sofa with no alien threat. Mariah bounded over to him, but her feet slowed when she took in his hard and angry face, and the empty bottles of beer that surrounded him.

"Hey, Troy," Mariah said cautiously with an apologetic smile on her face. Slowly joining him on the couch, Mariah noticed how Troy shifted ever so slightly away from her. Pain coursed through her, but she tried to tame it; after all, she deserved it. "I'm really sorry, Troy. There was an emergency. Anyway, Jack phoned and I had-"

"You didn't have to go anywhere, Mariah! You could have refused!" Troy suddenly shouted, throwing down the bottle he was currently cradling in his hand and leaping to his feet. For a moment Mariah shrank in to the back of the sofa; she had never seen him this angry, or this drunk.

"We were supposed to have a quiet night together for once! But of course Jack phoned and you run off with him!" Troy screeched, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Mariah's fear didn't last long. Of course it was still there, in the back of her mind, cautioning her to be careful, but Troy's anger spread to her, and before she knew it, she was on her feet facing him, her finger jabbing at his chest.

"Don't you dare talk to me that way!" She yelled, not appreciating Troy shouting at her, despite the fact that she probably deserved it. "I was doing my job! Keeping people safe!"

"I've been thinking about that," Troy said, his voice suddenly quiet and cold.

This voice scared Mariah more than the shouting, and she had no idea what he was talking about so she raised her eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest. He continued,

"You always say that you're job is important but what about us? Our friendship? Aren't we important?" Mariah opened her mouth to retaliate, but Troy held up his hand, wanting to finish. "I can't live like this anymore, Riah. I never know when I'll see you next, and I never know if you'll be dead or not when I do." Mariah flinched at this but, again, Troy carried on. "You need to decide. It's me and the band or your job?"

For a long moment Mariah just stood frozen in shock, her eyes wide and rapidly blinking. Did he seriously just ask her to choose between her job and their friendship? She loved Troy like a brother, but lately she had noticed them growing distant, but would that stop if she quit Torchwood and The Agency? But how could she quit Torchwood? They would have to retcon her, and how was she supposed to willingly forget all her experiences and friends? Forget Jack? With Torchwood she was saving people's lives every day and without her, Torchwood would be missing its heart. Not to mention that the key chemical in the Retcon drug was poisonous to the part of her that was Time Lord. Last time she'd accidentally taken it, the drug had nearly killed her. Really, there was no choice, and Mariah hated it.

"Troy, please don't make me choose," Mariah begged, dropping her eyes to the carpet. She wanted them both in her life, but if she had to decide she would pick Torchwood and she didn't want to let go of Troy and admit that he came second in her life.

"Sorry, Riah, but it is either your job or me. You can't have both anymore." Mariah's eyes flickered up to his face and it was hard and confident. He thought that she would pick him and that broke her heart. Her eyes started leaking but she refused to sob. Suddenly Troy's hands shot out and grabbed the top of Mariah's arms and started shaking her. "Mariah!" Troy screamed at her.

Taken by surprise, Mariah forcefully pushed him away and obviously surprised him with her strength. He stumbled back and rage filled his features and before either of them knew what he was doing, he raised his hand and harshly slapped Mariah across the face. "My God... Riah, I'm sorry..." Troy muttered apologetically, stumbling forward, his arms raised. But there was no way she was letting him touch her again. Now she couldn't stop the sobs as they racked through her body, making her arms shake as she quickly whipped out her gun, holding it to Troy's chest. Suddenly she stopped and he raised his hands slowly. Of course there was no way she would ever shoot him, but if it was the only way to keep him away from her… then so be it.

Sprinting to the bedroom Mariah grabbed the duffel bag and suitcase that she kept under the bed. She made sure that she locked the bedroom door behind her before Troy caught up to her and started packing all the clothes her hands touched, ignoring Troy's apologies as his fists pounded on the door. Filling the bags to their capacity, Mariah stood up and faced the door for a long moment before unlocking it and stepping out.

"Riah!" Troy said in relief, thinking that she had come back out to talk to him but then his eyes found the suitcase and bag in her hands and his face crumpled. "No... Mariah... Please..." Troy said between gasps, his own tears starting. But Mariah ignored them, just like he had ignored her tears. Her chest ached, her face stung and her eyes were blurred from the continuous flow of tears, but still Mariah pushed past Troy silently, her decision already made.

When she reached the doorstep she turned around to face him and said in an emotionless voice, "I'll come back tomorrow when you're gone and get the rest of my things." She realized that he would stay in the flat until she arrived but she could always bring Jack as moral support. "I want you gone by the end of the week, that's not a request… that's an order."

Turning her back on him, Mariah was about to step out of the door when something else flittered across her mind. "Oh, I hope you know you'd better be gone when I come back…" Mariah said in a matter-of-fact tone, "And I choose Torchwood." Her voice cracked on the last word as she broke down again, but she still walked out of the flat confidently, never once looking back.


	8. And Where Does This Leave Me Now

Tugging open the passenger side door of her car, Mariah flung her suitcase and duffel bag violently on the seat before slamming the door shut and running round to the other side. She had to be quick, for two reasons actually. The first one being that if she didn't drive away now Troy would catch up to her, and she didn't want that to happen. The second reason was if she paused, even for a second, and let her thoughts and emotions take over, she would be lying on the floor weeping, and she definitely didn't want Troy to find her like that, so she had to leave. But where could she go? Of course there was only one place she wanted to go, one person she wanted to see. Starting the engine, Mariah slammed her foot down on the accelerator and the car lurched forward quickly.

However, things didn't go exactly to plan. Driving at night was easy, too easy. There was hardly any traffic and Mariah found her mind floating back to the flat and the argument; a forbidden area. Before she knew it, Mariah was clutching the steering wheel with one hand, the other one quickly wiping the tears that formed. But no matter how many tears she wiped away, more tears replaced them and before she even drove down two streets, Mariah swerved in to a parking space and then stomped down hard on the brake. She shouldn't be driving like this. She was bound to hurt someone.

Reaching for her bags, Mariah slowly got out of the car and locked it, deciding that she would return in the morning when she wasn't in such distress. But would she ever feel better? Would she ever recover? Pushing these daunting thoughts out of her mind Mariah started a determined walk. One advantage of walking was that she would have more time to herself before she reached Torchwood, and she hoped that when she did reach the hub her tears would have stopped and she no longer felt the urge to suddenly stop and curl up in to a ball. One of the things that kept her walking was the fact that she would see the smiling face of Jack at the end of her journey.

The journey wasn't long enough. Soon she was standing in front of the water tower and sobs still ripped from her chest and tears still poured from her eyes. She had to keep moving. Maybe if she walked along the bay for a bit the sea breeze would sooth her. As she walked away she hoped that nobody had seen her on the security cameras, but everyone was probably too busy with the meteor to notice a small crying Mariah on a silent computer screen.

An hour later she was back in the same spot, watching the water tower. She couldn't put it off any longer. She realized that she would feel the intense pain for a long time still, no matter how far she walked. The only consolation was that her eyes had run dry of tears and the sobs that racked her body had quieted down.

Taking a deep breath, Mariah walked toward the little tourist shop that hid Torchwood's main entrance. Of course it was locked and there was no sign of life so Mariah pulled out her keys and rummaged through them until she found the right one. _Déjà vu_, Mariah thought bitterly as she pushed open the door, locked it behind her and pressed the button under the desk that opened the entrance to Torchwood.

As she walked along the corridor and entered the lift, she hoped that everyone wouldn't start questioning her. All she needed was to be the centre of attention for her to break down again. She wouldn't do that in front of everyone. She would walk in there and pretend like everything was normal. Gripping both bags in one hand, Mariah pulled her hair forward so that shadows fell across her eyes, hiding the fact that she had cried recently. The action made her hand brush against her cheek and the slight pressure made Mariah gasp in pain. Mariah had forgotten about the fact that and she was probably sporting a very lovely bruise across her cheek. As the lift doors opened she only hoped that her hair would hide the mark as well.

For a moment she stood still, gathering up her courage. She would not break down in front of them. She was strong. Taking a deep breath, Mariah walked forward and into the Torchwood hub, keeping her head down. Peeking up from under her fringe she saw everyone was still here. This image sent a pang of guilt through Mariah. Maybe if she stayed to work like everyone else this wouldn't have happened. Troy would have been sober and asleep when she arrived. But she couldn't fool herself. This was bound to happen eventually. Troy had been getting angrier and angrier recently; Mariah knew it had only had to be a matter of time.

Jack was standing on the balcony, overlooking his team work. His eyes darted to the entrance when he saw the cog door turn out of the corner of his eyes. At first he frowned. After all he told her to go home. But then he looked at her, properly looked at her. She kept her head down, something Mariah never did, and she was silent; another rarity. There was something wrong, seriously wrong.

"I thought I told you to go home," Jack shouted down, leaning forward and placing his hands on the railing. Mariah looked up involuntarily and instantly regretted it, quickly lowering her gaze. But Jack had already seen her tear-soaked and battered face and now the rest of the team started to look at her, Jack's call alerting them to Mariah's entrance.

"Well I felt guilty for leaving you all here to work. If I'm here we'll get things done quicker and everyone can go... home sooner." God, she sounded horrible. She cleared her throat quickly before she had to speak again and she hoped nobody heard her pained delay on the word home.

Jack nodded silently, still recovering from seeing Mariah's full face. His grip tightened on the bar for a second and he wished that it was Troy's neck he was throttling instead. Jack was sure this was Troy's fault. By the looks of it, Mariah had been crying, a lot. And, although he couldn't be sure from this distance, it looked like she had a bruise forming on her cheek. Quickly she bent down, depositing two bags he hadn't noticed before at her feet, and rushed to her work station, eagerly stroking the computer keys, wanting to get in to her work and forget all about Troy.

The team continued to look at Mariah, their gazes flickering to each other's worried faces every now and then. They all picked up on the fact that something was wrong with Mariah but nobody knew how to approach her when she basically threw herself into her work. Jack descended the stairs quickly, earning a sigh of relief from his team before they returned to work, knowing Jack was the best thing for Mariah right now. Nevertheless, they still glanced at their friend with worried and sad expressions, wanting to know how to comfort her obvious pain.

Mariah jumped slightly as she felt two warm hands rest on her shoulders. She hadn't heard him approach but she knew exactly who it was. If she looked round at him now, if she looked at his soft smile and understanding eyes, she would break down. She knew it would happen eventually, she knew she needed to think about it, talk about it, but she still pushed back the memories, her fingers rapidly typing as she ignored Jack's presence.

"Riah," Jack said, squeezing her shoulders gently. Her fingers stopped and hovered above her keyboard, trembling slightly. Jack could feel Mariah tense underneath him as she tried to hold back all her emotions. "Please, Mariah. Speak to me."

With that Mariah suddenly spun her chair round and dived in to Jack's waiting embrace. He wrapped his arms around her, comforting and warming her because she felt freezing. But soon he pulled away slowly, wanting to confirm his suspicions about her cheek. Of course she tried to hide from him, but he kept his grip on her chin so he could inspect her face. Instantly his features hardened and his blue eyes burnt with anger. "Did Troy do this?" Jack whispered harshly. Mariah neither shook her head nor nodded, but it was clear to Jack that he was right. Despite what he had done to her, Mariah still loved Troy like a brother and she knew about Jack's temper. She didn't want Troy to get hurt. But at the same time she knew there would be more questions if she denied Troy's involvement.

"Jack, please don't do anything," Mariah choked, her grip on his shirt tightened. Seeing Mariah in so much pain, so much distress, and so obviously needing him, made him enclose her in a hug once more, determined to comfort her before he did anything else. Silently they stayed like that for a long time, unaware that the other members of the team silently went home, giving them privacy.

For a long time Mariah clutched on to Jack for support, but slowly her grip loosened and her sobs died down. When at last she had run dry she pulled away slowly, wiping her face with the back of her hands, ignoring Jack's growl when she touched her bruise and winced. Shyly Mariah glanced up at Jack, embarrassed at her sudden emotional breakdown. She noticed that Jack now had a huge patch of his shirt which was soaked with tears and smeared with mascara. "Oh, crap! Look at your shirt! I'm sorry!" Mariah croaked before clearing her throat and blushing ever so slightly. However Jack just laughed.

"Don't worry about it, Mariah," Jack soothed her, one arm still wound around her body protectively, "Come on. Let's go in to my office." Mariah nodded silently, allowing Jack to help her up and to guide her towards his office. Her legs felt weak and she had a huge headache from weeping all night. Quickly she glanced around the Hub, hoping she wouldn't need to explain things to the rest of the team, when she noticed they were alone. Mariah blinked in surprise before turning to Jack.

"Where did everyone go?" Mariah asked, craning her head around to check if the whole Hub was empty. It definitely seemed like it. When did they leave? How long was she crying in to Jack's chest? She felt Jack's body shrug from where he supported her.

"Not sure. Must have gone home." Usually Jack would have been angry at his team for leaving a job unfinished, but today he understood why they had disappeared and he appreciated it. When they reached his office he guided Mariah toward the sofa before clapping his hands together. "Right!" Jack said, "Coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate?" Jack was determined to get a hot drink in to her. She felt freezing when he held her.

Mariah smiled timidly as she thought before answering quietly, "Hot chocolate?" Her mother always used to make her hot chocolate with the little marshmallows floating in the top when she had been upset or simply had a bad day at school. When she was really young, Mariah sometimes used to cry on purpose so she could get some of her father's heavenly hot chocolate.

Jack rushed off instantly not happy to leave Mariah by herself but wanting her to have a hot drink. When he returned, carrying two mugs in his hand, he found her with her legs tucked up to her chests, her arms wrapped around them as she lay her head back against the wall behind her with her eyes closed. For a second Jack faltered in the doorway, smiling softly as he admired the sight. Then Mariah's head shot up, as though she sensed his presence, and Jack walked towards her grinning, holding out one mug.

"Thanks," Mariah mumbled as she took the mug and drank greedily. Jack found himself watching her again as she gulped down the drink before letting a soft smile flitter across her lips, her eyes unfocused as though she was thinking about something from her past. Jack almost asked her what she was thinking about but resisted it; after all, he never told her anything about his past, even when she asked.

"What happened?" Jack asked gently, knowing the best thing for Mariah was to talk about what happened and then leave it behind her. At his question she glanced down at her knees and chewed her bottom lip, her brow furrowed as she thought. Jack let her mull over her thoughts and he turned to his desk where he put down his mug before unbuttoning his shirt and discarding it on the floor. He had just put a new shirt on, the buttons were still open, when Mariah looked up, ready to answer his question.

However she had not been prepared to see Jack's bare chest and when she opened her mouth to speak, nothing came out. Her eyes drifted from his face and on to his chest without even realizing it, and she sat like that until she heard Jack chuckle which broke the spell. Immediately she dropped her eyes to the floor and blushed, which increased when Jack asked jokingly, "Like what you see?"

Of course the answer was yes. Mariah was screaming it inside her head. In fact, ever since she met Jack, she would find herself staring at him at the most random moments and admiring him. She had known for a while now that she had fallen in love with Jack. Of course she denied it, but now wondered if Jack felt the same. Sometimes she would catch him looking at her, or he would brush up against her while they worked. Should she tell him? Should she admit to her feelings?

Instead of confessing about her love for Jack, Mariah just smirked when she looked back up at him, he had now fastened his buttons which she was happy about because it meant she wouldn't lose her train of thought again, and rolled her eyes. "Meh, I've seen better," Mariah said jokingly as she shrugged her shoulders. Jack pouted before sitting next to her and putting his arm around her shoulders.

"You wound my pride," Jack joked, giving her shoulders a light squeeze. God, it felt good to be holding her. No, it was more than that. It felt _right_. Jack couldn't really describe how he felt when he was around Mariah but he realized that it was a lot like how he felt with Estelle; it felt a lot like love. But how could he love her? He had built up so many defenses. But here he was, _knowing_ that he loved Mariah but too afraid to admit it, even to himself. Turning back to Mariah, he noticed how her eyes were distant as though thinking about something, and how she chewed her lip, showing her distress. "Do you want to talk about it?" Jack asked gently, squeezing her shoulders again. "I think you should. It will help. Trust me."

"I trust you, Jack," Mariah sighed before burying her face in to her hands and mumbling her story against her palms, "I came home and Troy was still up. He... He had been drinking." She could feel the tears starting up again, but this time she absolutely refused to cry, after all it didn't do her any good, but then again, it was easier said than done. "We started arguing, we've been arguing a lot recently, and when I didn't answer him he... he shook me so I pushed him away. Then he... then..." She couldn't actually bring herself to say that Troy had slapped her as tears suddenly started to flow again. Mariah glanced up at Jack and judging by his expression Mariah guessed that Jack understood what happened so she moved on. "I packed the first things I found and then came here."

Mariah started to sob quietly, despite her promise not to cry, and Jack silently wrapped his arms around her, pulling her body in to a hug. Instantly she responded by wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in to his shoulder. Despite the fact that she was sobbing because she had just lost her best friend after he hit her, Mariah felt warm, safe and basically happy in Jack's strong embrace. She felt his lips brush gently against the top of her head followed by him whispering, "I'm sorry."

Quickly Mariah sat up, her eyes wide, so she could look in to Jack's face. Mariah couldn't believe it when she saw sorrow and _guilt_ in his features. "Why the hell are you apologizing?" Mariah asked. After all, if it was anybody's fault it was hers; she had been the one who put the strain on the relationship which caused Troy to snap. It was all her fault.

"Because," Jack explained, "I always told you to keep things balanced and to keep your friendship with Troy without realizing how unhappy you were. If it wasn't for my nagging you might have made him move out ages ago and he wouldn't have hit you." Jack hesitantly raised his hand and gently brushed her bruised cheek before dropping it back in to his lap.

"Hey," Mariah said forcefully, raising her hand to rest it on Jack's cheek so that he looked at her, "This is not your fault. Right?" Jack chuckled lowly and nodded before falling silent. Mariah just realised that she was touching his face which was very close to her own. Jack seemed to have the same thought and the two of them just sat there and stared in to each other's eyes, both of them willing to find the courage to lean forward and kiss the other. Jack seemed to inch forward only slightly just as Mariah dropped her hand from his face and she instantly regretted it.

"So," Jack said, clearing his throat, "What are you going to do now?" Jack remembered Mariah carrying her bags into the Hub and he wondered if she had already sorted out where she was staying. He wondered if she would stay with him if she didn't have any arrangements, and he remembered Mariah asking him if he ever got lonely at night when she first joined. He didn't answer her because the answer was yes and he didn't want to admit it.

Mariah shrugged, looking down at the floor. To be honest, she had no idea. "I guess I'll go to the nearest hotel now and then ask if I can crash on a friend's sofa." After that she had no plan. She knew that one of her friends had a spare room which she had slept in before when she had small arguments with Troy, but how would she feel about a permanent resident? But before she had to put some serious thought in to it, Jack came to her rescue

"You could always just stay here," Jack offered, "I have a bed which I hardly use and I guess we could both use the company." Mariah looked up hopefully. It would be so much easier to stay here and she constantly craved Jack's presence to sooth her. It was true that they both needed the company after the ordeal with Troy as well as Jack and Ianto agreeing to stop seeing each other.

"Really?" Mariah asked, still not believing her luck. When Jack nodded with his famous grin plastered on to his face, Mariah jumped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Mariah babbled, pulling back from Jack so she could look in to his face when she spoke, "That is a load of my mind." Mariah smiled soft and said sincerely, "Thank you, Jack."

"Least I can do," Jack said, rising to his feet. "The bedroom is just down there." Jack pointed to a little manhole to the side of his desk. "You head down and I'll get your bags," Jack offered, already heading to the door. Mariah smiled and muttered her thanks before heading down the ladder where Jack indicated. Pausing in the doorway Jack watched her disappear before quickly going to retrieve her belongings.

Mariah's first impression of Jack's room was that it was bare. The bed had a simple and dull duvet on, and the only other furniture in the room was a mirror and two sets of drawers as well as a wardrobe. Then her eyes started growing accustomed to the light and Mariah realising this room told her more about Jack than anything else. There were little ornaments dotted around the room, cluttered together on top of the drawers and on the few shelves. But they were different from the alien artifacts he kept in his office, these were personal. Mariah was just inspecting a photo frame which had a black and white photo of a woman underneath the glass as well as a pressed flower.

"Elizabeth." Mariah jumped at Jack's voice, not hearing him climb down the ladder. She spun around and gave him a confused look until he explained himself, stepping closer and dumping her two bags on top of the bed. "That's Elizabeth," Jack said, pointing at the photo, "She was my best friend's sister and she gave me that flower when I headed off to war. When I returned she was dead." Jack looked sadly down at the photo before quickly changing the subject, not wanting to dwell on his past. "Do you want another drink? You're freezing."

"Please," Mariah said with her arms wrapped tightly around herself in an effort to keep warm. She turned to her bags when Jack leapt up the ladder and fished out her pyjamas which consisted of shorts and a tank top. Quickly she got changed, not wanting Jack to walk in on her half naked, and silently chuckled to herself as she imagined how that would play out. God, she would be so embarrassed, but it would be worth it if she saw Jack falter in shock immediately followed by him checking her out. Wait. What was she thinking?

Mariah was glad when Jack came down the ladder because he distracted her from her own embarrassing thoughts and simply because it was Jack. He was her comfort blanket and she yearned for his reassuring touch and words. "Thanks," Mariah said taking the mug and taking a big gulp. "Jack..." Mariah began, nervously gripping the mug with both hands and not meeting his gaze. "Never mind," Mariah said quickly, turning around and sitting down on the bed.

A moment later she felt Jack sit down next to her and throw his arm over her shoulders, pulling her body in to his warm embrace. "Mariah?" Jack asked, but she was still silent. She was just being stupid and Jack would probably laugh at her. "Mariah, please. What is it?" He spoke with such gentleness in his voice that Mariah looked up in to his anxious eyes. She realized then that Jack cared for her a lot, but was that it? Mariah hoped not.

"Well," Mariah said, giving in to Jack's pleading face, "I was wondering if... if you would stay with me? Please?" Jack blinked in surprise and then suddenly started to laugh warmly, causing Mariah to look up at him in hurt confusion.

"Was that it? Of course I'll stay with you," Jack said simply. He stood up, walked around to the other side of the bed and pulled back the blanket. "I would do anything for you." The sincerity of his voice and face made Mariah's heart thud dramatically before she smiled softly and whispered her thank you. She climbed in to bed next to him and Jack pressed his wrist strap to switch off the lights.

"Thank you," Mariah whispered and then let out a content sigh as Jack wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her in to his chest so her back was against his front. Even though it was already morning and she had just lost a friend after he hit her, Mariah had the best night sleep she had had in a long time.


	9. It's Hard To Let Yourself Fall In Love

Mariah woke up with a smile on her face. For a long time she lay still, her eyes still closed, and she couldn't remember why she was so content. But then as sleep left her, her senses came to her. First she realized that the bed she was lying in was much more comfortable than her own. Then she noticed _his_ smell. Jack's sweet scent engulfed her and made her grin even wider. Now that she was concentrating, she could hear the faint beeping and whirling of machinery she had only heard in one place in her whole life. The Hub. Of course. Mariah mentally smacked herself as she stretched out her limbs before opening her eyes and turning over, only to find the bed empty. She sat up so suddenly that it made her dizzy, but Mariah ignored it as her eyes raked over the empty room and then focused her hearing on to the world above. Nothing. Where had he gone?

Disheartened, Mariah pushed back the duvet and shivered when the cold air hit her. She would have to remember to tell Jack that he needed to crank up the heating a bit. Stumbling over to where she had dumped her bags, Mariah tried to block out her thoughts of where Jack could be, and tried to concentrate on finding an outfit. It took her quite a while realising in her haste to escape her flat she had grabbed the closest clothes she could find. Most of them turned out to be the discarded dirty ones she had left on the bedroom floor, and she even had one of Troy's shirts which she hurriedly pushed back in to her bag, pushing down her emotions with it. The clothes that were clean were mostly inappropriate for work, and she giggled to herself as she imagined running after aliens in the skirt she now held up. Impossible.

Finally Mariah did find a suitable outfit, and once she was changed she pulled her fingers through her hair and subconsciously ran her tongue over her teeth, realising she had forgotten a hairbrush and toothbrush. She sighed sadly because this meant she would have to go back to the flat and confront Troy sooner rather than later. Mariah thought about leaving straight away, that way she could get it over with and when she returned Jack would hopefully be back. But then again she had hoped to bring Jack along with her as moral support. But was that such a good idea? She had witnessed Jack's temper before and she knew he was angry about Troy hitting her. However, before she decided anything, Mariah heard the sirens that meant the cog door had been opened, and she smiled to herself, hoping that it was Jack.

Mariah had just scrambled up the ladder in to Jack's office when the man himself walked through the doorway. His face lit up in a grin when he spotted Mariah.

"Morning. Sleep well?" Jack asked and Mariah opened her mouth to answer but a yawn replaced it so she just nodded her head, holding her hand to her mouth, causing Jack to chuckle.

Mariah looked down at Jack's left hand where he was holding what looked like a brown paper bag. Mariah raised an eyebrow and Jack followed her gaze. "Oh," Jack said as though he just remembered he was holding it, "I went out and bought you some breakfast. Being me I technically don't need to eat – Actually I only do it out of habit. Anyways, I usually only eat when you guys get a pizza or something, or we go out for lunch so this place isn't really stocked up. I guess we'll need to get some things in," Jack rambled, deep in thought, probably thinking about what Mariah would need that he usually does without.

A wave of appreciation and thanks swept over Mariah at Jack's thoughtfulness. To an outsider he might look tough and daunting, but to Mariah he was sweet and caring, and she finally had to admit to herself: she loved him. Walking forward with a bright grin Mariah took the brown paper bag. "Thanks," Mariah said, although she wasn't just thanking him for breakfast. She was thanking him for everything; thanking him for supporting and comforting her, giving her a place to stay, and simply being so thoughtful. Without thinking about it she leaned forward and pecked him on the lips. It was much like the kiss she had given him when he caught the blood-mad alien and stopped it from going inside her. A kiss to show how deeply grateful she was. But this kiss was different. For one thing they were a lot closer now, and although neither of them admitted it to each other, they both knew that the other cared for them to a certain extent. Mariah also felt the same pleasurable tingle when her lips met his that she ignored last time. But now all her thoughts were centred directly on Jack.

It seemed that both were equally surprised. Their faces mirrored their shocked as Mariah pulled away and they just looked in to each other's wide eyes for a moment. It was Jack who recovered first. His famous grin flittered across her face, lighting up his features, and he wrapped one arm around Mariah's waist while his other hand gently caressed her face. "Now that is something I want to wake up more often to," Jack whispered before his lips crashed down onto Mariah's waiting mouth. At first their kiss was slow and tender, each of them pouring their feelings in to the kiss, and in that moment they both knew that they loved each other. But that kiss didn't last for long as their passion bubbled to the surface, and soon they were locked in a fiery and deep kiss, pressing their bodies closer to each other. Tongue danced with tongue, and teeth played with lips.

Mariah broke the kiss, pulling away and gasping for breath. "Maybe you will," Mariah said with a smile in response to what Jack had whispered to her before they locked lips. Jack smiled cheekily at her before descending on her lips once more. Again their passion raged and Jack backed Mariah up so she was sitting on his desk and he was standing in between her legs which slowly wound tightly around his waist. Jack was just sliding his hand up Mariah's thigh when they heard someone approaching the office, and they jumped apart.

"Sir, UNIT have sent some repo-" Ianto was looking down at the files he carried in his hands as he entered the office, and just looked up in time to see Jack and Mariah break their kiss and jump apart. Immediately he faltered, in speech and stride, and his eyes widened enormously. "Oh, God! I'm so sorry! Um... Shit..." This reminded Mariah so much of the time when she walked in to Jack's office to find her boss' and Ianto's naked bodies entwined as they kissed, just like Gwen had, that she had to laugh. It felt good to laugh after so much despair. She covered her mouth with her hand and tried to mutter her apologies but nothing came out except more giggles. Obviously Jack and Ianto were remembering the same thing because they exchanged a glance before laughing themselves. "I'll just leave these on your desk, sir," Ianto said, dropping the files on Jack's desk before retreating with a smirk. Immediately Jack wrapped his arms around Mariah again and sighed.

"I guess this means we need to get to work. The others will be arriving soon," Jack said with a grim smile, almost cheered up by the fact that Mariah looked so disappointed too. "Of course, we can always continue this tonight." Jack winked at her and Mariah couldn't help but smile. She had never imagined that this would happen; that they would act upon the obvious feelings they felt for each other. They were free now to have a relationship. Mariah had to admit that her silver lining was good.

"Actually..." Mariah started, her mouth twisting downward into a frown. At first Jack's heart stopped. He thought that Mariah was having second thoughts about them, so when she spoke again Jack let out a sigh of relief. "I need to go to the flat quickly and get the rest of my things. Is that alright?" Jack nodded, but with a tight smile. He knew that she needed to get her things, but he hated the idea of her facing Troy. Jack was about to volunteer to come along with her when Mariah asked, "I was wondering... Would you come with me please?"

"Of course," Jack said, grinning. He broke their embrace but kept her hand firmly in his, not that there was a chance Mariah might attempt to break his hold. Together they walked out of the office and towards the cog door. When they passed Ianto he glanced up at them, a confused look on his face and Jack explained, "We're just going out for a while. We'll be back shortly." Ianto nodded and returned to his work, a smirk plastered on his face. Obviously he couldn't wait until Gwen, Tosh and Owen came in to work so he could spread the gossip, but at that moment, Jack couldn't care because he was walking hand in hand with the most beautiful woman in the universe he had dreamt about for months.


	10. The Song of Lovemaking

It had been a long day and Jack was miserable. He had been on his way back to Mariah's home when the rift alert sounded and Jack had gone to investigate. Mariah had volunteered to go along with him, but Jack had protested. There had been no point in both of them getting cold and wet.

As Jack wandered up the path he hoped that Mariah would still be up. As the weather had turned colder, Mariah had switched from coffee to hot chocolate in the evenings and Jack desperately needed the hot, sweet wetness. At first Jack had been resistant, but that was before he had tasted Mariah's hot chocolate. He should have known that Mariah would only use the finest dark chocolate instead of the powdery substitute that most coffee bars used.

He opened the door and grinned at the sounds coming from the kitchen. He closed the door quietly, removed his shoes and padded softly to the kitchen, his footsteps muffled by the thick carpet.

The sweet smell of chocolate filled the air and Jack lingered in the kitchen doorway. He watched his young lover swaying to the music as she stirred the hot chocolate. Mariah was so caught up in the music, that he didn't notice Jack move across the floor. She jumped as Jack slid his arms around her waist and rested his head on Mariah's shoulder.

Mariah grinned and continued singing along with the radio. "I believe in miracles. Where you from? You sexy thing!"

He turned her head so his lips brushed her ear and heard her whimper. Feeling a sudden rush of excitement at her weakness, he slipped his shirt off and felt her heart beat furiously. Ignoring the feeling that this was leading to something she couldn't control, she turned around and dipped her head and traced her tongue down his neck, tasting the saltiness of his skin. At the same time, she raked her nails down his chest and he cried out, his eyes flinging open, staring at her. They both paused, panting slightly as their hearts raced. Mariah was the first to move, moving her head back, swallowing nervously. "Jack…" she stuttered.

He was as quick as lightening, grabbing her by the waist with both hands, hauling her to the side, sliding her roughly against the wall. He pressed her between his body and the wall and she blinked, shocked at the suddenness of his movements.

"Jack…" She tried to speak but the words wouldn't come out. He looked into her eyes and she gulped at the intensity of his stare. It wasn't the cool and calm Jack Harkness she knew. It wasn't a cheeky glint in his eye, it was more. There was something ferocious and untamed about his look, and it scared her a little bit.

He growled playfully in her ear, releasing his hold on her but not moving his body away. He let his hands roam over her body and she didn't move, couldn't move. His touch was electric, she felt little jolts pulse through her as his fingers grasped her and she moaned a little, tipping her head back and closing her eyes. He traced a finger along her ribs, over her breast and up her neck, pulling her head toward him and locking them in a forceful kiss. Mariah fought his tongue with her own, a battle of dominance. They pulled apart for air and all thoughts of wrong vanished from her mind. She pushed herself from the wall, forcing him to take a step back and locked him in a kiss again as she worked at undoing his fly. Frantically ripping his pants down, she jumped on him, wrapping her legs around his waist. He stumbled at the unexpected move, kicking himself out of his pants, stepping back toward the wall and sliding down into a seated position with Mariah on his lap, one less layer of clothing separating them. He pulled her t-shirt over her head and unclasped her bra with a quick flick of his hand.

"Oh, you're a master at that, I see. Can't say I'm surprised," Mariah smirked at him, breaking from their kiss. She looked at him and he could see her eyes were darker, lidded, and lust-filled.

He grabbed her arse and forced her into a kneeling position above him so her chest was level with his head. She steadied herself against the wall behind them as he licked and bit at each nipple, tweaking the other with his hand at the same time. She arched her back and let out a strangled moan. Jack, unable to get enough of her taste and smell, kissed his way down the smooth skin to her navel, and then down lower and lower, eventually unbuttoning her fly with his teeth. He slid his hands down the back of her pants and grasped her buttocks before rolling them forward so he was on top of her. She panted, her chest rising and falling with each breath and he stared at her for a moment, at her beauty, her pale white skin and perfect breasts.

"What are you waiting for." she said in a low voice. It wasn't a question, more of a statement, and he leaned forward to kiss her again, bringing his leg between hers, rubbing his thigh against her crotch. She let out a moan before he broke away, sliding himself down their bodies as he peeled her jeans down her legs. Jack's heart skipped a beat as he looked up at her slim white legs and black knickers, and then he slid her underwear down her legs, flicking them over his shoulders.

"You're gorgeous," he told her, kissing her legs slowly, tantalisingly, before diving between her legs and tasting her. She grasped his hair in her hands and cried out as he worked at her skillfully. He knew just when to tease her and when to give in to her and soon he was keeping Mariah on the edge of an orgasm as she begged him to let her come. When he finally did she raked her nails up his back, arching herself forward and convulsing as waves of pleasure rolled over her. She lay there sweaty and panting for a few moments before shakily raising herself on her elbows, staring at him on all fours leaning over her with a knowing smile on his face.

"Well. You're not half bad at that." She winked at him, her eyes wandered down his muscular body to his boxers, straining against his hard on. She grinned, her energy restored, and wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling his face up to hers and somehow summoning the strength to roll them both over. Straddling him, his hardness pressed against her, she flicked her hair behind her and made her way down his body with her tongue. When she reached his boxers, she pulled them down and took him in her mouth. He groaned at the sensation as she licked and swirled her tongue around him and alternated with long moments of suction. When he thought he couldn't take it anymore, she suddenly stopped and positioned herself over him, guiding him inside her with one movement. They both cried out and then fell into a rhythm of grinding and thrusting, their bodies becoming increasingly sweaty with each second that passed. Jack rolled them over so that he was above her, and each time he thrust into her, she raised her hips to meet him, to allow him deeper access.

Jack caught Mariah's gaze and she couldn't look away, his eyes fixed on her, watching her expression as she came again, bucking her hips into him.

"Jack!" she cried, her voice cracking. He came with her, all the time staring at her. They collapsed in a sweaty mess of tangled limbs.


	11. Meeting The Enemy, And Loving It

riah fic - chap 11

The conference at which Jack and Mariah were set to attend for the sole purpose of gaining intel on their, now common, enemy. Entral Sool. He was egotistic as well as eccentric and so obviously not a nice man. The pattern of deaths grew steadily larger, with a empty space at the heart of it. The deaths were limited to young mothers, usually pregnant, with death caused by the violent removal of the unborn foetus.

The Police had started to notice. They needed to mobilize… and soon.

Six months past, all the while they worked very closely, and Mariah's and Jack's attraction to each other grew stronger until it hurt for them to be apart, and then it was time for the two of them to go undercover… together.

They booked into the Hotel, unpacked, and changed into more suitable attire for the function below. Jack wore his full military uniform, and Mariah wore a faded blue, ankle length, satin dress. She wore her hair down and let her natural curls go their way. When Jack walked around the corner into the bedroom, she heard his breath catch in his throat as he looked her up and down.

"You look beautiful." Jack whispered and Mariah smiled sweetly at him.

"Thank you." Mariah whispered back. She turned away when she felt her cheeks burn with some unknown feeling. For six months, Mariah had dreamt of Jack saying those words. Dreamt of seeing him look at her the way he did now, even though he had done that from day one of their meeting, it was nice to know that he truly thought that. Ok, so she had cheated and read his mind but still it made her feel, well, wanted.

The air grew heavy with the sexual tension radiating from the two of them. Jack felt an overpowering urge to sweep Mariah off her feet there and then, but he resisted. He was going to seduce her tonight, and he would do it right.

"We'd better head down soon Jack." Mariah's voice was soft and her eyes sparkled in anticipation of what the future might hold for her and the man she loved with every fiber of her being. She could only hope that Jack felt the same and, little known to Mariah, he did.

Entral Sool was droning on about his company, trying to sell his ideas to the real representatives present at the table, the clock ticked quietly in the background, Mariah was seated across from Jack, a mere eighteen inches across from him, and all he could do was study the delicate chain that hung about her neck. Why did she have to be so attractive? He swallowed, looked at the handouts and then returned his attention to what Entral Sool was saying. He was about to speak up when Mariah cleared her throat. All heads turned in her direction; she was looking with great interest at Entral.

"I caught a glimpse of your book in the store, read some, and when I was reading, all thoughts worth anything flew out of my head. National debt? Trade deficit? Failure of the educational system? Within two chapters, my brain was pretty much smashed." Mariah said.

Entral's lips curved into a warm, yet sinister smile. "I think that's the point Miss Cheasley. We have so many problems within the business world now; we can't allow ourselves to get too carried away with a moment when we have such problems as you yourself have listed for us."

"It's nice to get carried away sometimes though, isn't it Mr. Sool? How else would we invent the new or create better transnational companies such as yours?" Mariah had rendered Entral silent for a moment, but then his smile widened.

"When done correctly, getting carried away can result in the creating of the new. But leaving those great new technological advances up to those who use the new for bad ends that, Miss Cheasley, simply will not do at all."

"But when you get carried away, when your brain gets smashed, how do you remember this?" Mariah gestured around the room. "If you forget, that wouldn't be good and that's something all of us don't want to represent. This has consequences. Good and bad, and you have to prepare for those consequences, and if you're not prepared, then you shouldn't be here." She had made the last sentence rather pointed and Entral hadn't liked it. The other representatives on the other hand agreed with Mariah.

"Well, I think that's enough from me. It's been a pleasure and I suppose, Miss Cheasley, that we'll agree to disagree." Entral sat and waited for her to respond.

"I don't think we disagree on everything," Mariah said smoothly. Her voice was polite, almost superficial, but Jack knew. She turned to Jack, a triumphant smile spread across her face. He smiled back, a little too confident, a little too male, little too sexually charged, but he couldn't help it. Something had happened when they had first met, a flash of lightening, a magnetic pull. For months he had tried to keep it hidden, but no more. And tonight he would show her he loved her.

Mariah got up on wobbly legs and she gave Jack a warm smile.

"You did well." Jack whispered into her ear when she reached him.

"It was fun. I thought I was going to be nervous. I was nervous. Hell, I was terrified, but then it got fun." Mariah whispered back.

"I'm glad." He answered softly. She loved his voice, the smoothness, the power, the comfort. She wanted to say something witty and seductive, but her synapses were overloaded as it was. She needed to leave, run away, and turn back into the confident professional person she was supposed to be. She started to go.

"Mariah?"

She turned, looked at him and saw the heat in his eyes. "Yeah?" she squeaked.

"You free for dinner? It's just there was nothing appetizing and I thought you might be hungry."

Oh, that was a nice touch. Make it look like it was merely business. Nothing more than a polite gesture.

"I'd love to. All that talking and I'm suddenly hungry." Mariah answered. Jack took her arm and escorted her outside where they then walked along the harbour.

They had dinner at Fisherman's Wharf, at a seafood restaurant perched on a dock that reached out far into the bay. It was dark, warm, and intimate, much nicer than the conference room back at Entralscorpio's business firm. This was a place a man took a date for privacy and romance. Across the way, the moon lit up a small island, giving it a ghostly glow. This was a place that Mariah would always remember.

Jack was a wonderful companion, telling her stories about his travels, making her laugh all the way through dinner. His eyes lit up as he talked, and she could see how much he loved what he did, how passionate he was about his work.

She liked that about him, his passion. So many people punched a clock and didn't care, but Jack cared. It was there in his words, in his face, in the intensity that radiated from him.

It was that intensity that drew her like a magnet.

"So what have you been doing with your band these past few months?" Jack asked playfully.

"Not much. This. That." He knew full well what she'd been doing these past few months…especially the bits he was concerned with.

"Nothing else to keep you busy? No personal obligations, huh?"

"Are you asking me if I'm involved with someone other than you?" she said, meeting his eyes squarely. Mariah had never been one to tip-toe around something; she wanted people to know she was coming.

One side of his mouth curved up, a rueful look that shouldn't have touched her like it did. She didn't trust men as a rule, but that small hitch in his mouth tempted her to bend her rules. Just a little.

"Yeah, that's what I'm asking," he said, surprising her with his honesty.

"Free as a bird." She answered easily, her tone light. The one reason she stayed with the Agency and Torchwood was because she loved him, she wanted him. Even after several months that ache hadn't eased. It ate away at her, pouring into her fantasies, her dreams, becoming something living and breathing deep within her. She pushed the thought away, needing to regain her footing. "Thank you for asking me to dinner."

He leaned in closer, the candlelight seeming to make him glow slightly. "Don't thank me Riah. I really don't deserve it."

"This bothers you doesn't it?"

He laughed, a rusty sound without humour. "You have no idea how much."

She flashed him her best smile. "Yeah, I think I do."

Mariah watched as he deftly made patterns with the last of the silverware, and was pleased to see him uncomfortable, pleased to know that she wasn't the only one whose nerves were shot to hell. Finally, he raised his head.

"I didn't plan to have this conversation over dinner."

"Is there a right time and a right place Jack?"

His eyes glittered, more caramel than chocolate in the dim light, his desire apparent. Mariah shifted in her seat, trapping the pulse points between her thighs. "Yes," he said harshly, his carefully modulated voice vanishing abruptly.

Mariah smiled. "In bed?"

"Preferably before then."

"Maybe I like to know what I'm getting into."

"Mariah," he started, and then stopped. "No. Would you like some dessert?"

"What's on the menu?" she asked.

He closed his eyes. "Are you going to behave yourself?"

"Dinner was your idea, not mine."

He pulled some cash from his pocket and laid it on the table. "Can we go?"

"Now we're in a hurry?" she asked.

He lifted their jackets from the coat hook at the table. "Dinner was a stupid idea. In a long line of stupid ideas. But I've waited so long to be able to do this right, and right now, every minute counts."

Mariah felt a sharp pull of excitement in her stomach. He held out her jacket, and she brushed against him. Closer than she should. Close enough to hear his indrawn breath.

"I guess you're ready?" she asked.

He swore softly, took her by the arm, and hurried her out of the diner.

He drove her back to the hotel in silence. What did you say to a man you were about to step off the cliff with? They walked through the lobby, and he was careful not to touch her, but she could feel him, feel the invisible band of awareness between them, arching like an electrical shock. A few people recognised her in the lobby, and stopped to talk about her band and when their next show was, and Jack stood discretely off to the side, not really knowing what else to do. The etiquette books didn't cover this situation.

After she finished talking, he put a hand in the small of her back and guided her to the bank of elevators. "Do you get accosted by fans very often?" Jack asked.

"No, not often." She answered, but he suspected that was wrong.

"I bet when you go around Britain, you're mobbed by screaming males."

"I have female fans too." She replied. Ah, he'd struck a nerve.

"Do they scream and throw underwear at you?"

"No-one has ever thrown underwear at me."

"Got them in the mail, huh?"

Her face flushed. "A couple of times."

"I'll remember that," he said, smirking slightly. "It's your green eyes. Very sexy."

"Yeah, right." Mariah mumbled, blushing again. She could read his mind and knew he wasn't lying.

They were quiet on the ride to the ninth floor. He was so controlled, so careful as they walked down the hallway, but the heat was coming off him in waves. His strides got a little longer, and she noticed that his breathing wasn't completely even. Somebody was completely turned on.

Somebody besides her.

He took out the key to their room, glanced down the hallway, and then escorted her inside the suit. And that was the end of his control.


	12. Loss Of Control

_**fic-chap12**_

_**He took out the key to their room, glanced down the hallway, and then escorted her inside the suit. And that was the end of his control.**_

Jack hauled her back against the door, and crushed his mouth to hers, and Mariah heard herself whimper. Two parts relief and one part fear. This wasn't one of her trashy novels she read late at night, this was her life, and right now she wasn't sure she could breathe. His body was so tight against hers that she could feel the pulse of his blood, the beat of his heart, the fierce jerk of his cock. She opened her legs, cradling him there, feeling him rub against her. It was the most erotic thing she had ever felt, which was saying quite a lot.  
His lips moved against her throat, nuzzling against her neck, and then he began to murmur. All those soft, seductive words that she had dreamed fantasized about hearing. Oh, he had a wicked, wicked tongue.  
"Tell me you're okay with this Mariah," he muttered.  
Ah, man, she was so much more than okay with this. His hands swept over her breasts, along her hips, underneath her dress, and all she could do was nod.  
He shoved aside the neck of her dress, and his mouth fastened on her breast. The pain was sharp, fierce, and she gasped with the intensity of it. Then with his tongue, he warmed where he hurt, pulling, laving, arrowing mindless shivers of heat to her nipples and liquid tears between her thighs.  
Weakly, her head fell back against the wall, her knees buckling. He took her in his arms, and carried her over to the couch, and before she could regain any control, he was on her again.  
It was heaven, the heavy weight of him a welcome torment. He shoved up her dress, he unzipped his pants, and then, oh, glory, he was inside her. The exquisite feeling of completeness filled her, and she rose up to meet him. His mouth covered hers, his tongue thrusting in time with their bodies, and her fingernails dug into his shoulder, holding on tightly. The air of the hotel grew heavy with the scent of sex, the sound of their breathing, the smacking of flesh against flesh. All she could think of was that this was Jack.  
Jack  
For six months, she had dreamed, but never like this. This wasn't hazy or warm, this cut inside her, sharper than a knife. Her fingers lost their hold, and she gave herself up to the orgasm, jumping off the cliff, right into the air.  
His thrusts went deep to her core, and she could feel the world falling away...

Jack's chest was racing, and he wondered if he would have a heart attack. Surely not, he was in great shape, but he felt like he'd just knocked two decades off his life. Mariah. She was going to kill him. But at least he'd die happy. He considered pulling out of the soft, vibrant body beneath him, but he couldn't do that, not yet. It was so comfortable to lay here, his head pillowed against her breasts, listening to her frantic heart beat. For two beats he lay still, his breath slowing to match hers.

However, Jack had been raised a gentleman, and gentlemen didn't lie there like a one hundred and ninety pound slug. But he needed to know the answers to the questions he'd kept inside for so long. He lifted his head, met her eyes, wanting to know what secrets her eyes held when a man was inside her.

There. He looked there, and was dazzled. She would never be a woman with stars in her eyes; she was too alive, too passionate. But a man could still fall into the darkness. Drown in the sparks of joy and life that even the darkness couldn't hide. Now he knew.

He raised his hips, ready to start over, when those passionate eyes widened with panic. 'A condom,' she whispered frantically, the words coming out in a rush.

Shit, shit, shit, shit. Jack took a deep breath, and brushed his thumb soothingly over her cheek. He was the older, more responsible one, he could handle this. "Okay, we're going to run through the checklist. I'm clean. You?"

She nodded.

"Pregnancy?" he asked, his mind seeing Mariah rounded with child. His child.

"Contraceptive pill." She answered uncertainly, as if unsure the contraceptive she was using actually worked on her. Still, he wiped the image from his mind.

This time, Jack did pull out of her, and then sat up on the couch. "I'm sorry."

"S' all right," she answered, all the sparkle gone from her face. Somehow reality had intruded, and stole all the happiness from her. She pinned up her hair and then began to pull her clothes together to cover her body, a crime against humanity, if there ever was one.

He took her hands. "Mariah, stop." She looked up at him, regret in her eyes. He'd been an ass. They were going to start over, and this time, he was going to seduce her right.

Sex had never been a highlight in Mariah's life. In fact she had only ever had one man, and that was Jack. As she fumbled with her clothes, Jack stilled her hands, and she froze. She didn't want to meet his eyes, didn't want to see apathy there, but she had always been a sucker for pain, so she looked. No apathy, not today. This was something else. Comfort, rock-like determination, and strength. And she finally admitted to herself that she was completely and irrevicably...in love...


	13. Dangerous Knowledge

As time went by, Entral Sool's victim radius grew exponentially and news stations the country-over were picking up on the murder and foetal detachment of young, pregnant, first time mothers. As such, Jack felt it necessary to send Mariah in to investigate and quell hysteria. Unfortunately, he wasn't banking on police interference…or that Mr. Sool knew that Mariah was going to be there, and would do everything in his power to stop her from communicating what she knew to anyone that could stop him…

Mariah now leaned back against a desk and hopped up onto it, sitting and swinging her legs as she watched the scans running with a scowl,

"Sadly, that is the case. Weevil's running loose."

"And you're better are you?" asked DI Jason

Mariah didn't appear to have noticed, "Hell yeah, like I said, we have a clue and will employ anyone who has the right credentials. Male, female, gay, straight, alien or human. And we don't have a no dating in the office rule, which makes life considerably more entertaining for those of us who work there. My boyfriend works with me; well actually he's my boss. My best friends are having a civil ceremony in two months."

"Nice." Said DI Jason

She laughed as she studied the neck wounds closely, "I'll explain all this at my place later. We're having a briefing there with Colonel Mayflower. And then I have to report back in with the team, and that should be fun."

"Fun?" DI Jason inquired.

"Well the last time I was there with my boyfriend, Captain Harkness, he was naked, mind you though, I didn't have many more clothes on. Anyway… This guy was definitely killed by a Weevil. I would say, judging by the size of the injuries, that it's probably the same one, but no way of knowing until I check the DNA, which I'll have to do at home."

She quickly set up a projected keyboard on a desk and rattled away at the non-existent keys, "You getting all this through there Owen?"

"Loud 'n' clear Riah." Owens voice sounded loud and clear through the speakers set up near them. "By the way, your 'boyfriend' is standing right next to me. And has been for the past few minutes. If you catch my drift."

"Oo-oo… brilliant. Hi Jack. Dose this mean I'm gonna get it when I get back? Or are you merely going to take it home with you and bring it up with me there? And we all know where that will lead…" Mariah paused for effect, and then added sarcastically. "Don't we…?"

"All right Mariah, you've made your point. And yes to all of the above. You are gonna get it when you get back… in more ways than one!" came Jack's voice through the speakers. In a way that let her know that she wasn't going to be in as much trouble as she was going to be in bed.

"Jack, is there any way for me to get back to Cardiff tonight or tomorrow sometime? These attacks don't seem to be of the usual kind. If this was the same one, then that would have to mean…" Mariah's voice stopped cold. She looked at DI Jason and then continued down another topic. "I need to discuss this with you and the team- wow these readings are off the scale! Transferring them back to you now." Mariah's voice, panic stricken, shook with fear.

"Mariah, stay calm. We'll get you back here as soon as we can. Tosh can you-" Jack's voice had a hint of Mariah's panic behind it.

"Already on it Jack." Tosh's voice came through the speakers loud and clear.

"There, you'll be back before you know it." DI Jason was trying to relieve her obvious distress.

"No. You don't understand. It's him Jack, he's onto me. If he finds me-"

"He won't, it'll be fine Mariah, I promise. Look, Tosh has a screen up that says you can get back to Cardiff Central tonight. We'll be at the train station waiting for you. Ok?"

A car screeched around a corner somewhere up the street and Mariah's head snapped toward the sound. "I know that car…got to go Jack, bye!" Was all she said before grabbing the equipment, disconnecting the power source, and shoving it all into a case. Mariah zipped the bag closed and threw it into the back of her rented car before slamming the door and jumping into the drivers' seat. She started the engine and stuck her head out the window and motioned for the DI to get in.

"I'm stayin' here til Ed gets back." DI Jason said in response.

"I'm telling you Ed ain't comin' back." A gun fired and the shot missed Jason by an inch. "I'd get in if I were you Jason, somehow I don't think they'll be as courteous."

DI Jason didn't need telling again. He slid into the car and Mariah put her foot down on the accelerator. She handed Jason a gun a pointed toward his side window and then back towards the car following them firing rounds off at them.

"You got a base of operations or a safe haven?" Mariah's voice was the only thing that broke the silence other than the constant gunshots.

"Yer." Jason let off a few rounds back at the other car as he answered.

"Where?" Mariah sounded concerned.

"Euston, Warren Street, O m twenty five."

"Great, the centre of London, just where I need to be." That said, they sped down the M4 towards their first destination.

With DI Jason safe, Mariah sped down the main highway towards the train station. Mariah's train ride back to Cardiff was a little too uneventful, and this put her on edge. As she stepped onto the platform, Mariah looked cautiously about.

She turned to go when she spotted two thugs sitting on a bench near her. They were watching her every move. Mariah turned slowly on the spot and headed towards the exit. Slowly at first as to not arouse suspicion, then quicker as she grew nearer the exit. The next thing she knew, she was bolting down the ally way opposite from the station, heavy footsteps behind her, gaining all the time.

A door opened somewhere behind her and more people gained on her current position. Mariah spun around to face her pursuers, only to find them readying their guns to fire on her when 'BANG!' Mariah screamed in agony and fell to the ground holding her right side, blood spattered all over her clothes and arms. Blood spurted from the wound in her side, dazed with pain and confused; Mariah lay there clutching her side, feeling herself slip away from the scene and the noise of running feet, two more gunshots, an explosion, the sound of glass shattering and hitting the ground around her, and more excruciating pain as shards of glass cut into her flesh, before drifting off into darkness.

"I need her location now Tosh!" Jack was yelling at the top of his lungs.

"And I need to triangulate her position in comparison to us. Give me a minute." Tosh was just as worried as Jack was. "Wait! I've got it! Down there."

They ran down the same ally Mariah had only an hour before. At first they couldn't see anything, but then the light from their torches found Mariah's motionless body. Jack fell to his knees next to Mariah. Suddenly deaf to the world, all he could do was sit there, tears running down his face. Owen working over her furiously.

"She's breathing. She's alive! Jack we need to get her back to the Hub NOW!" Owen's voice brought him back to reality.

"Jack…" Mariah's already weak voice faded away and she groggily opened her eyes. She'd lost a lot of blood but she was alive, and awake, and that was all that mattered.


	14. Love Lies in Pain

Love Lies In Pain

"Jack." Mariah moaned, lying on the couch in the hub.

"Say my name, you'll be screaming it later..." He joked, helping Mariah up. She smiled weakly.

Her body was covered in glass shards, and blood clung to her skin. She gasped as Jack lifted her.

"It hurts." She whispered.

"I'm sorry, Mariah. Let's get you cleaned up. The others will sort everything out."

Mariah nodded. Jack took her in his arms and carried her down to the shower room. She stood up nervously, holding onto Jack's arms for support. Jack turned on the shower, and let the warm water cascade over Mariah's blood-covered body, washing away the glass. She fell closer to him; she was weak from the injuries. Her white top was becoming see-through under the water, and Jack couldn't help but notice her lacy underwear. He looked away.

"Stop it Jack," He told himself, staring at the wall ahead of him.

They were both standing huddled together under the shower, Mariah's wet hair clung to her face, and she looked up at Jack, her eyes wide and questioning. Jack stroked her shoulder and heard her gasp as he did so. And he knew the gasp wasn't from pain, he could see her outline from under her top.

Jack held his breath and started to kiss her neck. She moaned, arching herself towards him, her hands clambering at the buttons of his soaked through shirt. She undid his buttons, feeling his warm toned chest as he continued to kiss down her neck. Neither of them spoke...

He slowly pulled her top off, revealing her bruised stomach and chest.

"I need to get you some ointment..." He whispered "Stay there." He helped Mariah sit down in the corner of the shower and ran to his desk. Still soaked, and topless, he pulled out a bottle of cream and ran back to Mariah. She looked dizzy.

"Magic cream, 51st Century." He put some cream in his hands and began rubbing it into the cuts on her hands and arms, the wounds closing as he did so. He moved towards her stomach, rubbing the cream in with slow circular motions.

"Jack, that's so good..."

"The ointment or me?"

She groaned in reply. Jack took off her jeans, and his hands moved lower, touching the inside of her thighs. Mariah felt a shiver go through her, as she re-gained strength. Soon enough the last of her cuts were gone. Jack threw the empty container aside. Mariah stood up, fully healed.

"All better now?"

Mariah nodded. Jack looked at Mariah's perfect body. Mariah looked at Jack.

"Jack, you're wearing way too much clothing..." She proceeded to pull down his trousers.

As Mariah pulled his boxers down she pushed Jack against the wall. Mariah locked the edge of his lip with a bite, pushing her body weight against him. Jack put his fingers into her panties and pulled them down to her ankles, before undoing the clasp of her bra.

Jack sunk to the floor, pulling Mariah down on top of him, then rolling over so he was on top of her. Mariah licked Jack's teeth, and Jack closed his eyes. The water was still covering them both, the sound of the splashing drowning out Mariah 's moaning as Jack entered her. Mariah arched into him, matching his slow steady rhythm, feeling his heart beat fast against her hands...an everlasting heartbeat. He pushed her back against the wall, switching off the water supply as she did so. Now the only sound was the two of them, bodies moving, touching, feeling, gasping, exploring.

She stared into his sparkling eyes, feeling his hot breath rage against her cheeks as he panted, their breath mingling as their mouths joined in a passionate kiss. They stayed this way for hours, Jack keeping his thrusts slow until Mariah gasped, whispering faintly, and knowing the climax was near, Jack became faster and stronger, making their best moment worthwhile. They reached it together, forced into silence by the extent of their pleasure. They snuggled up into each other's arms until morning.

Jack awoke first, removed himself from Mariah and stood up. Sleeping on the shower floor never did anyone any good. He thought. But it was well worth it. He picked up Mariah, who was still asleep and took her over to his bed, laying her gently down. Mariah stirred, opened her eyes and smiled at Jack who smiled back at her before lying next to her and kissing her with ferocity like neither had ever known before.


End file.
